Ormond Beach Police have arrested a 36-year-old Orlando man after officers discovered 17 malnourished dogs in his trailer.
Community Service Officer Christian Stephens asked police officers to respond on Monday, Feb. 3, to the Econo Lodge at 1567 N. U.S. 1 after discovering dogs were present inside the trailer. Once police arrived, they heard barking coming from the trailer, as well as saw multiple dogs confined in cages inside. The trailer had no air conditioning or ventilation system, was parked on an area without shade and none of the cages had food or water bowls, according to a police report.
It was not the first time the CSO had encountered the trailer, which was registered to Neddrick Thomas. On Jan. 29, Stephens has spotted the unattended trailer in the motel parking lot, and spoke with Thomas over the phone, who said the dogs were “not abandoned and had been left alone for less than an hour,” according to the police report. Thomas told Stephens that he was looking for a place in Daytona to which he could relocate the dogs.
Police used bolt cutters to enter the trailer, finding four adult dogs, three juvenile dogs all estimated at around 8 months old, and 10 puppies.
Ormond Beach Police Lt. Tom Larsen holds one of the rescued puppies. Photo courtesy of Pauline Dulang/Ormond Beach Police Department
“None of the cages had a water or food bowl present within the confines,” the report states. “All of the dogs appeared to be severely malnourished and thirsty, and had traces of urine and feces on them. The cages had soiled newspaper aligning the bottom. Due to the feces and urine, the news-paper turned into a paper-mâché like consistency.”
All 17 dogs were transported to the Halifax Humane Society.
The motel manager told police that Thomas was told to leave on Jan. 29 due to having more than five dogs in his room. The manager said he had returned since a couple times to feed the dogs, but the last time was seen was at 11 p.m. on Feb. 2.
Records showed he had checked in at the motel in October 2024.
Police report that Thomas entered the lobby of the Ormond Beach Police Department on Tuesday, Feb. 4, where he was arrested. He told officers that he hadn’t been back on Feb. 3 to feed his dogs because he had been at the Halifax Humane Society trying to get treatment for another dog, whom he chose to surrender to be euthanized as he couldn’t afford her care — the dog had a “severe open-wound to her face and lips,” according to a report. He told officers that the Econo Lodge employees were supposed to be taking care of his dogs.
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